The Bridal Candidate 2 (Heart Connections)

by Linda Verji

  “Daddy, where’s Aiko?” Zoe drew his attention.

  “She’s on her way.”

  “Really?” Concern gleaming in her eyes, Zoe asked, “Why isn’t she picking her phone though? I’ve tried calling her several times.”

  “She’s probably driving,” Damián dismissed even though his own concern burgeoned with his daughter’s words.

  Aiko not picking his calls was one thing, not picking Zoe’s was worrying. When it came to the kids, Aiko bordered on being a helicopter mom. If one of the kids so much as coughed, there she was zooming in to the rescue. This was completely out of character. Had something happened at the house? Was it Lincoln?

  If he was alone, Damián would’ve rushed to the Vaughn’s house. Unfortunately he was not, and their girls needed him here. Tamping down on his concern, he tried to concentrate on the conversation and event at hand.

  Several minutes later, Carmen’s real agenda for attending the event was revealed – or rather arrived. Damián’s father, Archie Colter made his appearance on field with almost as much fanfare as Carmen. In his defense his attracting attention had nothing to do with him being loud. Mostly it was because as an ex White House Chief of Staff, everyone knew him. Then again his having a blonde Paris Hilton look-alike young enough to be his granddaughter on his arm didn’t exactly say ‘ignore me’.

  Thus commenced disgusted sniffs and snarky comments from Carmen. Fortunately, Archie chose to keep his distance from Carmen, and by extension Damián. In Damián’s book that was just perfect. Ever since they’d had their falling out over Archie hitting on Aiko, they hadn’t spoken. Archie refused to apologize, and Damián saw no reason to forgive someone who wasn’t remorseful. Stalemate!

  Damián excused himself from the group some minutes later with the excuse that he was going to grab a bottle of water from the car. The truth was that he wanted to try and call Aiko again without curious ears listening in. On his way to the car-park, he dialed her number but she still didn’t pick up, so he moved to Plan B. He called her sister.

  Femi picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Damián.”

  “Hey.” He paused a moment trying to figure out how to frame his next question then asked, “Is Aiko there?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m in the bakery. Give me a minute to check.” There was some shuffling on the other end of the line then Femi said, “Oh, I see her car. Shoot, I didn’t even know she was already here. Must’ve gotten distracted with this latest batch. I’ve got an order for-”

  Damián cut her short. “Could you tell her that I’m trying to call her?”

  “Sure,” Femi agreed. “Just give me a few minute to find her.”

  “Thanks.” He ended the call. He stayed in the car waiting for either Aiko or Femi to call him back. Ten minutes later, his phone was still disappointingly silent. He considered calling Femi again but realized that that would be hounding. Besides, if there was actually something wrong she’d call, right?

  He would’ve stayed in the car longer but his sojourn was cut short when he heard a voice announce over the loudspeaker that the first event was about to begin. Sighing heavily, Damián exited his car.

  CHAPTER 4

  Aiko was in her nephew Will’s room rifling through his clothes when her sister found her.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” Femi said as she entered the room. “You didn’t even tell me that you were here.”

  “Sorry. I got distracted with Linc,” Aiko said, absentmindedly as she held up a t-shirt to see if it was something that could fit Lincoln. He was so slender that she hadn’t even bothered checking Lewis, Femi’s husband’s closet. To Femi she said, “I hope you don’t mind me lending him some of Will’s clothes to wear. He’s sleeping in my apartment right now but I’m sure he’ll want to shower when he wakes up.”

  “Of course I don’t mind. Take what you need.” Femi stopped in the middle of the room to study Aiko. “So it’s really him? It’s really Linc?”

  “It’s really Linc.” Aiko nodded as she set the t-shirt on Will’s bed then went back to the closet to look for pants. She glanced at her sister. “Do you know if Will’s got any sweatpants or sweat shorts? His jeans are too big.”

  “Umm… Check in the second drawer to the right.” Femi crossed the room to sit on Will’s bed. “Where has he been? Did he say?”

  Aiko pulled a pair of black sweats from the drawer before turning to her sister. “He doesn’t remember.”

  “He doesn’t remember?” Her sister’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost touched her hairline.

  “No, he doesn’t.”

  “At all, at all?”

  “At all,” Aiko confirmed with a nod, before lowering to sit on her hunches as she inspected Will’s shoes. “All he remembers is getting off the bus and walking here. He doesn’t remember even getting on the bus, and nothing about where he’s been for the last five years.”

  “Wow. Okay.” Femi released a shocked breath. “And you’re sure he’s not faking?”

  Aiko whirled around to face her. “Of course not. Why would he be faking memory loss?”

  “I don’t know.” Femi shrugged. “It just seems odd that someone could completely forget five years of their life.”

  Aiko was used to her sister’s skepticism, but today it irritated her more than it usually would. Why would Lincoln fake memory loss? Rather than argue with Femi, she grabbed a pair of sandals and stood. Sandals in hand, she strode to the bed and picked up the t-shirt and sweats. “I need to take these to Lincoln.”

  “Wait. I didn’t even tell you why I’m here.” Femi stopped her. “Damián’s looking for you.”

  “What?” Oh, God! She’d even forgotten about him. And the kids. Their Sports Day. Aiko’s heart immediately lurched with immediate panic laced with a healthy dose of guilt. That guilt soared when an image of the kiss she’d shared with Lincoln pushed its way to forefront of her thoughts. She shot an anxious look towards the door. “Where is he?”

  “He’s not here,” Femi said watching her with unsettling intensity. “He called me, said you weren’t picking your calls.”

  “Oh.” Aiko breathed a sigh of relief. When she saw the look her sister gave her, she laughed nervously. “I must’ve forgotten my phone in my car. I should probably go call h-”

  “Does Lincoln know about Damián?” Femi interrupted.

  The question was enough to suck the air right out of Aiko’s lungs. It was a wonder she managed to keep her voice steady as she responded, “Not yet.” She started towards the door but stopped when a sudden thought struck her. Swiftly turning to face Femi, she asked, “Unless you told him.”

  “No, I didn’t.” Femi added quietly, “But you need to. You don’t want Lincoln finding out about Damián from anyone other than you.”

  Femi was right, of course. She needed to tell Lincoln about Damián. But it was easier said than done. How was she supposed to tell Lincoln that she’d moved on from him – that she’d betrayed their love? She didn’t need a psychic to tell her that he’d be hurt. After everything he’d been through hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.

  Eager to avoid her sister’s keen gaze, she turned back towards the door and threw over her shoulders. “I’ll tell him.”

  With that, she left the room. Her first stop after leaving the house was her car. The moment she extracted her phone from her purse she saw several messages from both Damián and Zoe. She called him first.

  “Finally.” Damián’s sigh of relief was audible even over the line. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” His obvious worry only served to increase the guilt swimming inside her. Settling sideways on the driver’s seat with her legs outside the car, she apologized, “Sorry I missed your calls.”

  “I’m just glad you’re fine,” he said. “What’s going on there? Did you see the guy?”

  “I did.” She paused for a moment. “It’s him.”

  “It’s Lincoln?” His shock reverberated through the line.
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  “It’s him,” she repeated. The silence that met her after that confirmation was so long she thought Damián had hung up. “Damián are you still there?”

  “I’m here. I’m just-” He inhaled a sharp breath. “Are you sure it’s him?”

  “I’m sure.” Playing with the hem of her dress, she added, “I mean he’s thinner, has some injuries and is missing parts of his memory… but it’s him.”

  “What do you mean missing parts of his memory?”

  “He can’t remember what happened during the five years he was missing?”

  “What? What did the doctor say?”

  “We haven’t had time to go to the hospital,” Aiko said, “And besides Linc says he doesn’t want to see a doctor.”

  “But that’s crazy,” Damián protested. “If he’s got such a large gap in his memory, he might have some mental issues. He needs to be examined.”

  “I’ll talk to him.” She changed the subject. “What about the girls? Has the event started?”

  “Yeah, it started a few minutes ago.” Damián added, “Zoe’s team is actually on the field right now getting ready to play.”

  “Ah, I’m going to miss it.” Frowning, she rubbed her palm over her forehead. “That sucks.”

  “Don’t worry I’ll take plenty of pictures.”

  “It won’t be the same.” She heaved a sigh. “Damian, I don’t know if I’m going to make it for any of the matches. It doesn’t feel right to just leave when Lincoln is my responsibility.”

  “No. No. Take care of things there, and I’ll let the girls know that you were held up.”

  “They’ll be so mad.”

  “They’ll get over it,” he dismissed. “You’ve never missed any of their events. One time won’t kill them. Besides, they’ve got a lot of support over here. Both my mum and dad came.”

  “What?” Despite herself, Aiko chuckled. “And someone hasn’t been stabbed yet?”

  There was amusement in Damián’s voice as he said, “No, they’re both shooting daggers with their eyes but no one has whipped out a physical weapon yet.”

  “Let’s hope they keep it that way. I don’t want them ruining our babies’ day.”

  “They won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She was quiet for a moment before asking, “And you and your dad?”

  “We’re keeping our distance,” he returned simply.

  “Damián.” She pleaded, “Baby, talk to your father.”

  “Not until he apologizes,” Damián’s tone was as curt as his words. Aiko opened her mouth to ask him to forgive Archie but Damián beat her to the punch. “He started this. He should be the one to finish it. If I’m the one who goes crawling to him, he’ll think that what he did was okay, and it isn’t.”

  She sighed. “I hate that I’m the one who caused the rift between you two.”

  “You didn’t. He di-” A burst of cheering cut into Damián’s words. “Sweetheart, I have to go. Zoe’s match just started.”

  “Okay. Don’t forget to take pictures. And call me when you have a minute.”

  “I will. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” The moment she said the words the image of the kiss she’d shared with Lincoln crossed her thoughts and it sent immediate guilt rushing through her. As much as the Lincoln had caught her unawares with the kiss, she hadn’t pushed him away mostly because she didn’t want to hurt him by rejecting him. However, she didn’t want to hurt Damián either.

  But what had happened had happened. There was no changing it. Since she couldn’t go back in time and turn her face just before Lincoln kissed her, she’d just have to live with the guilt.

  Aiko took a moment to suck in a calming breath. Once she’d regained her composure, she headed up to her former apartment above the garage. Knowing that Lincoln was still asleep, she tried to open the door as quietly as she could. But it was in vain because the moment she stepped into the studio apartment, Lincoln jerked to sitting position, and his gaze, so filled with fear, swung towards the door.

  “Sorry.” Aiko noted how quickly Lincoln blinked away his fear when he saw it was her. She added, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “It’s okay.” His gaze lowered to the clothes she was carrying. “Are those for me?”

  “Yeah, for when you wake up.” She crossed the room to set the clothes on Seraphina’s former bed. “Don’t mind me. I’ll be gone in a minute.”

  “Don’t.” When she turned confused eyes to him, he clarified, “Don’t leave. Come lie here with me for a moment. I just want to hold you.”

  How could she agree when she was engaged to another man? Yet, how could she refuse when this was Lincoln? The man who needed her. Besides, it was just lying down together with all their clothes on - nothing improper, she convinced herself before closing the distance between her and the bed. Lincoln scooted closer to the wall and lifted the covers for her. She set her phone on the nightstand then started to lower herself to the mattress. Midway, she realized that the room was way too bright. No wonder he’d awoken so fast.

  “Let me close the drapes first.”

  “No, don’t.” He shook his head. “I like the light.”

  “Okay.” Kicking off her shoes, she slipped in beside him. She made sure to face the other side so he wouldn’t have an opportunity to kiss her again. Curling up around her, he pressed his face into her hair and slipped an arm around her waist. Eventually, the room descended into a comfortable silence.

  Aiko waited for Lincoln’s breath to even out into the deep inhales and exhales of sleep, but it was a long time in coming so she whispered, “Linc, are you awake?”

  “Yeah.”

  It wasn’t planned. She just found herself confessing, “We have a daughter.”

  The arm he had around her stiffened as did his whole body. She waited for him to say something but he didn’t so she turned in his arms. When her eyes met his, she found utter shock swimming in the depths of his. He opened his mouth but couldn’t seem to get any words out, so Aiko said, “Her name is Seraphina.”

  It took some time but finally Lincoln spoke. “Seraphina,” he said in a whisper testing the name on his tongue. “What’s her full name?”

  “Seraphina Vaughn Ware,” she said. “But we just call her Phia.”

  “We-” His gaze lowered to her stomach then came back up again to meet her. He swallowed had before asking, “We have a daughter?”

  She nodded. “We do.”

  He was silent for a long moment then he lifted onto his elbow. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”

  “I didn’t know I was pregnant until after you left.” She lifted onto her elbow too so that they were eye-to-eye. Propping her head on her palm, she said, “I was planning to tell you when you came back from your assignment. But then you never came back.”

  “I want to see her.” Lincoln sat up. His words seemed to tumble over each other in a rush to get out. “Where is she? Is she here?”

  “Right now, she’s at-” Her instincts told her that this was the perfect time to tell him about Damián, but she just couldn’t break Lincoln’s heart like that. So she improvised, “She’s at a friend’s house. I can bring her over tomorrow if you like.”

  “Of course I like.” His eyes lit up in eagerness. “What does she look like?”

  “I don’t know. Like a child?” Aiko chuckled. “Actually, I think I’ve got some pictures of her here.” Her breath hitched as she turned to grab her phone from the nightstand. A few swipes of her fingers on her phone and she zeroed in on a folder filled with pictures of Seraphina. She clicked on one then held out the phone to Lincoln. “This is her.”

  Lincoln took the phone and stared at the picture of their daughter for a long moment. “She looks so much like you.”

  “You think?” Aiko sat up and scooted closer to him so she could see the picture better. “A little. But she’s got your lips, and your complexion.”

  “She’s beautiful,” he murmured

>   “She is.” Aiko lifted her gaze away from the picture for just a moment just in time to catch a glimmer of tears in Lincoln’s eyes. Immediately, she felt tears sting the back of her eyes and her chest grew tight. “Aren’t you happy?”

  “I am.” He cupped her cheek with his palm, his callused palm rough against her skin. “You have no idea how much.”

  “Good.” She smiled through the cloud of tears.

  Lincoln lowered himself back to the bed. “Tell me about her.”

  “Well -” Settling on her back, she stared at the ceiling. “- Seraphina’s four but she’s really mature for her age…”

  “YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN there,” Zoe exclaimed as she held the tablet a few inches away from her face. “I scored so many times they’re now calling me Zomargeddon.“

  “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.” Aiko’s face filled the screen of the tablet. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see you.”

  Though it was almost seven p.m., Damián and the girls were just getting home. Fortunately this time when he called Aiko she was close to her phone and picked up immediately.

  “It’s okay.” Zoe shrugged. She bumped her shoulder against Damián’s as she said, “Daddy took lots of video.”

  “What about me, Mummy?” Seraphina who was seated on Damián’s lap crowded closer to Zoe. “I made an ace, and I was number two in the tourna- toumanet.”

  “I’m proud of you too, baby,” Aiko chuckled. She seemed much happier and relaxed than she’d seemed earlier in the day. Damián wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried about that.

  On his part he was still reeling with the news that Lincoln was definitely back. What did it mean for them? Did it mean that she was going to get back with Lincoln now? After all, there’d never been any doubt that she loved the man.

  Was he about to lose the love of his life when he’d just found her? Damián couldn’t – didn’t want to imagine losing her. Not now. Not ever. It was hard to keep his shaken emotion from his face as he watched her chatting with their daughters.

  Smiling, Aiko asked, “Did they give you guys any trophies.”